What is peer-review?

Explanations of what peer-review is, why it is important in the academic world, and suggestions for finding peer-reviewed articles.


Answer

Peer review refers to the way a journal examines articles after an author submits them.

Before an article is published in a peer-reviewed journal, the article is reviewed by other people who work in the same field to make sure it adheres to established standards.  The exact nature of these standards varies by field and journal.

Discover@UMSL offers the option of limiting results to "Peer-Reviewed" journals.

EBSCO defines this option as:

Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals – Limits search results to articles from peer-reviewed journals. Peer-reviewed journals are publications that include only those articles that have been reviewed and/or qualified by a selected panel of acknowledged experts in the field of study covered by the journal.

If you still have questions about whether a resource is peer-reviewed:

  • Review the journal's web site.  Look for an "About" section.  Most peer-reviewed journals describe themselves as such.
  • Look up a journal in Ulrich's Periodical Directory (at the Public Service desk). Ulrich's content gathers information about current peer-reviewed publications directly from publishers or from publisher websites, as well as from individual journal websites. They attempt to contact each academic or scholarly publisher directly at least once per year.

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  • Last Updated Aug 05, 2022
  • Views 469
  • Answered By Tim Nelson

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